Rachel Ashwell

A few years ago, Country Home magazine hosted a "Be Creative" event in New York City's Central Park. The day revolved around presentations from design icons, knitting classes, cooking demonstrations, live music and and design seminars. Rachel Ashwell (founder and creator of the design style Shabby Chic) gave a personal lesson on how to bring Shabby Chic style to your gift wrapping. Her suggestions and displays were beautiful - pastel wallpaper used as gift wrap, vintage images reproduced as gift tags, pink tissue paper shredded to become stylish "fluff" to nestle around treasures.

And most importantly, she stressed that gifts should be thoughtful. That price, labels and trends should not factor into gift giving. She emphasized that by considering the person - her style, her family, her interests - and finding some sweet object that you think she would love (a vintage ornament wrapped in a Chinese take-out box or a family photo preserved under glass) would be the greatest gift of all. Thank you, Rachel!